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SEQUESTER MEMO GETS POLITICAL: The Pentagon’s long-awaited FY14 sequester memo is short on specifics and is largely a defense of President Barack Obama’s budget plan for the next fiscal year — as well as an attempt to shame Congress into supporting the White House’s cost-cutting proposals, from base closures to Tricare fee hikes. Despite the lack of detail, the memo is already achieving its intended purpose: providing lawmakers who oppose sequestration with a fresh set of talking points.

"The Secretary's letter once again highlights the irrevocable damage sequestration is doing, and will continue to do, to our military,” said Claude Chafin, a spokesman for HASC Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), who couldn’t resist a chance to take a swing at the president: “What is missing from the Secretary's letter is an acknowledgment that the solution to the current budgetary impasse will require the Commander-In-Chief to become a full partner in ending politics-as-usual practices.”

SASC’s top Republican, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, said that while he “would have liked more details,” the memo “makes clear that the devastation of sequester budget cuts will only be amplified beyond what we have experienced thus far." The big question now is whether the memo will be enough to motivate a gridlocked Congress to negotiate to avert sequester next year. Without details on exactly which weapons will get cut from where, we think not (see: last year).

THE NITTY GRITTY: Requested in May by Inhofe and SASC Chairman Carl Levin, the memo gives a broad outline of the Pentagon’s plans if forced to shave $52 billion from next year’s budget, as required under sequestration. In it, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says that with a sequester-sized budget in FY14, DoD would have to freeze all promotions, stop giving out discretionary bonuses and scale back recruitment, among other measures. POLITICO’s Kate Brannen has the rundown, for Pros: http://politico.pro/1aqVylF

FOR YOUR RADAR: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos are discussing the future of maritime forces at 9 a.m. today at a forum in Washington hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The “primary focus,” will be the “rebalance” to the Pacific, Lt. Col. Wesley Hayes, a spokesman for Amos, tells Morning D. The event will expand on Greenert’s June article in Proceedings magazine, “A New Naval Era” (http://bit.ly/1aXyXbi).

Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of U.S. Pacific Command, is briefing reporters at the Pentagon, also at 9 a.m.

ALSO TODAY — VA OFFICIALS TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs will join military advocacy groups at the White House for the Veterans and Military Family Mental Health Conference. Speakers at the closed-press conference include White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will deliver closing remarks, according to Military Times, which has more here: http://bit.ly/12scfDg

SIREN — AIR FORCE SEES NO WRONGDOING BY BOOZ ALLEN IN SNOWDEN CASE: An Air Force official tells Reuters that "there is no evidence that at the time of Mr. Snowden's misconduct, BAH knew or should have known, approved, or acquiesced in Snowden's misconduct." The Air Force reviewed the matter because of an unrelated ethics agreement it signed with Booz Allen Hamilton last year.

"There is no evidence that the Snowden matter constitutes a reoccurrence of the practices that led to the Air Force proposing BAH for debarment," the Air Force official said. More here: http://reut.rs/12shq6j

CHEAT SHEET — DoD's BALLISTIC AND CRUISE MISSILE THREAT ASSESSMENT REPORT: The National Air and Space Intelligence Center — DoD's top aerospace intelligence provider — released its Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Assessment Report yesterday, a document that outlines the scope of the threat of ballistic and cruise missiles in the hands of potential U.S. enemies. Here's Morning D's Cliffs Notes version:

-- CHINA ON TOP: "China has the most active and diverse ballistic missile developments in the world," the report says. It adds that the number of Chinese ICBM warheads capable of reaching the United States could grow to more than 100 in the next 15 years.

-- IRAN ON THE RISE: The report concludes that Iran could develop and test an ICBM capable of reaching the United States by 2015. "Iran has ambitious ballistic missile and space launch development programs and continues to attempt to increase the range, lethality, and accuracy of its ballistic missile force," the report says.

-- NORTH KOREA 'AMBITIOUS': "North Korea has an ambitious ballistic missile development program and has exported missiles and missile technology to other countries, including Iran and Pakistan," the report says.

TURNER’S TAKE: Missile-defense advocates in Congress are sure to use the report to bolster their case, and HASC Republican Mike Turner wasted no time in casting blame on the president. “For too long the Obama Administration has allowed our missile defense program to languish when they should have been working to prepare for these imminent threats," Turner said in a statement. Read the full report here: http://bit.ly/13ChMyC

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NAVY ACHIEVES FIRST DRONE CARRIER LANDING: POLITICO’s Philip Ewing reports from onboard the USS George H.W. Bush: “A Navy drone landed aboard this aircraft carrier for the first time on Wednesday, a milestone that its top leaders hailed as both historic — and banal. http://politico.pro/12simr2

SEQUESTER ON MY MIND: Sequestration was definitely on a lot of minds aboard the USS Bush as it was underway yesterday, Ewing reports. Crewmembers grumbled that they have little certainty about when their ship will next deploy. And X-47B team members aboard the carrier acknowledged they were dealing with furloughs even as their baby was set to make its first arrested landing.

Deputy program manager Don Blottenberger said over lunch in the wardroom that some of his team members had gotten permission to postpone their furloughs until after this week’s test. As for Blottenberger, however, he said he had no choice but to bank some hours even at sea aboard the carrier — “I am furloughing in place,” he said.

MORNING D SHOUT OUT: To Navy Lt. Lauryn Dempsey.

MEANWHILE … BACK IN THE BELTWAY:

DoD WON’T REFUTE McKEON ON ‘ZERO OPTION:’ Pentagon Press Secretary George Little carefully avoided casting judgment on McKeon’s assertion that the White House is not seriously considering a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan after 2014. “I haven’t been privy to conversations that may have taken place between the White House and the chairman and/or his staff,” Little told reporters yesterday. “I’m not going to say that he was right or wrong.”

On Tuesday, Little said during a press briefing that “the White House had made it clear that the ‘zero option’ is on the table. There are other options on the table, too.”

-- HAGEL HOTLINE: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Defense secretary's relationship with Egyptian Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has become the foundation for U.S. communication with Egypt: http://on.wsj.com/12slmUr

LINDSEY GRAHAM, MR. MONEYBAGS: The Republican defense hawk just had his best fundraising quarter ever, according to figures shared with POLITICO’s James Hohmann, as he prepares to fend off a South Carolina primary challenge. Graham pulled in $1.4 million during the second quarter and has $6.25 on hand, Hohmann reports. The senator is expected to formally name his full-time campaign staff this morning. http://politi.co/14JjUS3

JPAC GETS ITS SECOND LOOK: The Government Accountability Office will release the results of its investigation of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command — known as JPAC — in the coming weeks. Citing congressional sources, Stars and Stripes reports that the GAO report will show that "the effort is plagued with inefficiencies, duplicative efforts and unfulfilled goals." http://1.usa.gov/12sh9jy

MAKING MOVES:

-- WARREN APPOINTED FOR INTERNATIONAL ARMAMENTS POST: Hagel has tapped Matthew Warren for deputy director of international armaments cooperation for the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Warren previously served as a supervisory program analyst in that office.

-- HAGEL TAPS FORRESTER FOR PERSONNEL POSITION: Hagel has assigned Jason Forrester deputy assistant secretary of Defense for manpower and personnel. Forrester is leaving his position as special assistant to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs.

-- MULLIGAN FOR WHS DEPUTY DIRECTOR: George Mulligan has been appointed deputy director of the Washington Headquarters Services. Mulligan previously worked as director of the White House Military Office at the headquarters.

-- SMITHS GROUP VP TAPPED FOR SMC CHAIR: Elizabeth “Sissy” Pressnell, vice president of government relations for Smiths Group, has been elected the 2013 chair of the Security Manufacturers Coalition. The SMC is a coalition of nine U.S.-based security screening and technological manufacturing companies. In a statement, Smiths Detection Managing Director Lance Roncalli lauded Pressnell’s “strong background in the nexus of security technology.”

THAT’S ALL FOR US. Have a great Thursday.

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